It is difficult to say what’s harder to believe: that is has been 11 years since the 9/11 atrocities, or that national security has become an irrelevant issue in the most consequential presidential election in decades.

The first observation reminds us that today is a day of remembrance: of the loss of nearly 3000 of our fellow citizens; of the bravery of those who willingly gave their lives to save others; and of the heroism of the men and women who put on the line all that they have. That includes the love and well-being of their families, on whom the burden of American national security has been imposed while the rest of us go on with our lives — too often, without giving them a first thought, never mind a second.

No matter which political party has been in power since 9/11, there has been a great deal of bloviating about “the rule of law.” It is as if we had evolved beyond anything so crude and benighted as armed force and national interest — especially national defense. Let’s remember today that we have the luxury of living under something resembling the rule of law only because dedicated Americans sacrifice themselves to confront evil — in this case, the adherents of an evil ideology, Islamic supremacism, that is closer to the law of the jungle. The rule of law has precious little to do with why we have gotten through 11 years without a reprise of 9/11. A better explanation is that terrorists who have been captured or killed cannot commit more terrorism.

On the matter of evil, it is good to remember that it exists. Evil is not a misunderstanding, a cultural gulf, or a natural reaction to political policies adopted in pursuit of American interests or Israeli self-defense. That brings us to the second observation: the fact that national security concerns are absent from the 2012 campaign, even with tens of thousands of Americans at arms in distant hellholes, even with tens of millions of Americans enduring the increasingly overbearing government that has been the cost of heightened vigilance in an era when barbarism is met with political correctness.

The United States defeated the ideological threats of the twentieth century because we were unafraid to see evil for what it was — to diagnose it and understand it. Today, we ignore it, rationalize it, and assume we are somehow to blame for it. For the bipartisan ruling class, 9/11 is about “violent extremism” — as if irrational, wanton killers, seized by a “psychological disorder,” committed mass-murder for no better reason than to visit on the world’s most famous office buildings the most shocking case of “workplace violence” in history.

The “violent extremism” narrative is nonsensical. It defies reality as well as history. But it is a convenient fiction. For the Obama Democrats, it miniaturizes the enemy. With the killing of bin Laden, the president can now portray the enemy as defeated — even as al Qaeda resurges; even as Iraq has become an Iranian-influenced sharia state that works against the U.S. and Israel (remember when “victory” was defined as a “stable” “democracy” that is a “reliable ally”?); and even as Afghan Islamists (a redundancy, I know) turn their weapons on their American trainers, and the administration pleads with the Taliban to negotiate (remember when “victory” was defined as a “stable” “democracy” that “prevents the Taliban from returning and giving safe haven to al-Qaeda again”?). The “violent extremism” canard allows the administration to declare victory even as we are being humiliated.

The Republicans are no better. They want no part of dealing with Islamic supremacist ideology. To see it, diagnose it, and understand it as, say, Reagan did with Soviet communism, would — they’ve decided — result in their being slandered as “at war with Islam.” It would, moreover, lay bare the lunacy of the “Islamic democracy” project, which is what became of the incoherent “war on terror” after mid-2003 — a futile, prohibitively costly debacle. Indeed, it is the ambition of the Republican establishment to double down on this enterprise in Libya and Syria, among other venues, even as we see its wages in Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, and Turkey — “sharia democracies” that are among the world’s worst human rights violators. Most Americans see an enemy when they look at Saudi Arabia — where sharia is the only law, where religions other than Islam are banned, where women are systematically abused, from whence Islamic supremacist ideology is propagated throughout the world, and from whence hailed 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers. The Republican establishment looks at Saudi Arabia and sees a “key counterterrorism ally” with whom we may have, you know, a few “minor disagreements.”

In sum, the Obama campaign does not want to talk about national security — other than “Obama killed Osama” — because with the Middle East unraveling, with its record of abetting the Muslim Brotherhood’s ascendancy, the president’s claim of success is specious.

The Romney campaign does not want to talk about national security because talking about terrorism reminds people that Obama killed Osama, and talking about “promoting democracy” suggests more Iraqs, Afghanistans, Libyas, and coming soon, Syrias — self-defeating exercises that most Americans want no part of.

Neither campaign wants to talk about the ideological threat that imperils us, Islamic supremacism, because the Brotherhood’s American network has intimidated or co-opted them into believing that doing so would make them “Islamophobes.” Besides, to acknowledge the ideology would oblige them to do something about it, and then we’d have to concede that all these wonderful allies we’ve cultivated actually despise the West and work energetically to undermine us.

29 Comments, 19 Threads

Sept 11, 2001 is a day which is seared into my brain, as well as too many others.And, my personal links to the carnage run wide and deep,not including living (at the time) about a half hr away from the destruction!

“So say we all”.
The comments on this thread have touched me deeply. I have put aside my ordinary work for meditation and remembrance. I am reading now in Numbers 10:35 how Moses said: “Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be ascattered; and let them that bhate thee flee before thee.” I personally deem relevant and applicable to future days.

If I had my way, the memorial at Ground Zero would be a scale model of the Towers in steel the moment after the second plane hit, and there would be eternal flames in both of them.
The Towers would be set in a plaza that was a scaled map of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, and they would be surrounded by scale models in bronze of the buildings around the Towers as they were that day. There would be bronze flakes scattered in the terrazzo map that was the floor of this plaza, showing the pattern/direction of the burning memoranda, borne on the wind, that floated over Brooklyn as the Towers came down.

Those seeking remembrance would be able to walk among these buildings and see, replicated in miniature, what happened today. They would be able to see the names of those who died on the planes and in the Towers, including the names of the would-be rescuers, carved into the surrounding perimeter wall. And to get there they would walk on the names of the terrorists, carved into the pavement of the entrance pathways.

Leave out the names of the hijackers. Those animals would like nothing more than to be immortalized in stone, when the inheritance they deserve is less than a fart in the wind. Never forget what they did or why they did it, but strike who they were from the record, lest a perversion of history twist them into “martyrs” for the “cause”.

An inspired idea. How sad that it will not be adopted at the proper site in NYC. BUT COULD NOT SOME WEALTHY PATRIOT STEP FORWARD AND BRING THIS TO LIFE ELSEWHERE? THE COST WOULD NOT BE RUINOUS. I would gladly CONTRIBUTE to such a proposal. New York has neither monopoly nor veto power on citizens’ rights to make their own memorials, how and where they may choose.

THIS SUGGESTION MERITS NATION-WIDE CONSIDERATION! I PRAY THAT YOU WILL PURSUE THE CONCEPT–ESPECIALLY AFTER HOUSE-CLEANING IN D.C. NEXT YEAR! Feel free to e-mail me if you seek allies to proceed. God bless you. Did an angel whispered this in your ear?

Thanks to the posters here for their kind words. Nothing “angelic” about the idea; it was simply the obvious solution. We don’t do symbolic heroic statuary in this country anymore, alas—and the whole grove-and-reflecting-pool thing, aside from being done to death, does nothing to commemorate the event, nor does it remind people what took place. It is wholly unsatisfactory.

What was needed was something that recalled/evoked the event without being overly horrific or dwelling too much on victimization, but invited remembrance and served as a genuine path to recalling the shock, rage and terror of the day—without being an invitation to grovel.

Point taken regarding the names of the hijackers—however, I would remind people that in the Islamic world showing one’s shoe soles to someone is an insult (recall the enraged Muslim who actually threw a shoe at Bush), and having the names walked on by visitors to the memorial would be a deep and ongoing insult to the hijackers themselves, were they still alive, and to those who do still, alas, honor their memory.

Thank you. I don’t know how someone with your knowledge can keep from screaming and screaming and screaming. I want to scream just reading your columns and following you on Twitter. Would you ever believe how insane our government is with the cluelessness about the Islamicsters? (Ernest T. Bass usage). Anyway, please continue and sincere thanks.

Evil is what is in the White House. It is infested with Evil. The most insidious form of evil is that which professes to be good while it does the opposite. BHO is the manifestation of evil. The self interest segment of the US population could not care if 3 million Americans died in some evil manner. In fact that is exactly what is happening now as a direct and indirect result of this economic disaster. The only difference between 9/11 and now is the speed of which death comes. Whenever I mention 9/11 to these left coast pagans I get a look from them that is ‘What are you bringing that up again for??’

Yes, the US needs to suffer a great deal more before it will wake up, and then it might be too late to save it.

It looks like the Muslims are remembering it as well. At least those in Egypt. Ostensibly they’re protesting a movie, but we all know it’s 9/11 that they’re celebrating. Our “Community Organizer in Chief” will do nothing about it.

“national security has become an irrelevant issue in the most consequential presidential election in decades…” – So true! Thank you, Andrew, for saying this. It is very alarming that the American people are not discussing national security/terrorism/Islamicism. Come on folks – focus.

There is a blot of shame upon our land,
That has only grown with time.
As a nation we have failed our own–
“What is this awful crime?”
The Memorial that we owe our fallen dead!

Enemies of freedom struck symbols of our strength.
The most evil raid ever made against our homes.
The wicked cheered the savagery portrayed,
While Patriots’ courage in large part remained unknown.
Only at the Judgment Bar will they receive their glorious due.

Oh, so briefly, did some survivors rally to the trump—
Some leaders heard the call to help us heal.
But so quickly did the traitors hidden in our midst,
Begin their lies, our nation’s faith to steal.
Their Judgment also waits with damning fury.

How quickly have the wasted years sped by!
Who can in honor claim we have been just,
To those who bled, and burned, and died?
Who dares say we have kept our public trust,
By showing that sacrifices made were not in vain!

To ponder our ingratitude is to weep in shame!
To further delay forgotten vows of recognition,
Joins us to infidels who took our citizens’ lives!
No excuse justifies our failure in this holy mission.
For by delaying honor, WE HAVE DENIED IT.

Seeing our infamy, the enemies of freedom rally!
Thus, close to hallowed ground, they build
A monument to their treachery and murder!
And thus, again, forces of evil show their skill.
In Heaven, the fallen must avert their gaze at our collusion.

Never forget? An awful lot of people never even understood, and still don’t, what actually happened.

By far the biggest difference between 9/11 and Pearl Harbor was that with Pearl Harbor our politicians and our media and our Generals immediately recognized the enemy, while with 9/11, and even 11 years later, our politicians and our media and our generals still do not (or at least pretend that they don’t). And we are still chasing and biting our own tails.

This type of article was very much in circulation after 9/11. The fear mongering it induced brought about some of the greatest reductions of civil liberties this country has faced, the largest increase in the surveillance complex our country has ever undergone, and the increase in the ability of the executive branch to do whatever they so desire in disregard of the legislative and judicial branches. And far too many Republicans and Democrats saw all that as a good direction for our country. As was Osama Bin Laden’s plan, we did far more damage to our own country than any terrorist organization could ever hope to accomplish.

I really don’t understand your comment. What does his murder have to do with our own Government creating a warrantless surveillence state, something that has nothing to do with our ability to gather intelligence against terrorists?

The really sad outcome of all this; the terrorists have succeeded. We are now a country divided. While we argue amongst ourselves and call each other names, the ji’hadist barbarians continue to take over.

Statement of full dhimmitude and war against humanity from the Obama State Department after muslims tore down the American flag at our embassy in Cairo. And our Dhimmi anti-American generals will likely soon follow suit. Petraeus at CIA will likely soon again condemn all those who insult the koran, or as he calls it, “the Holy Qur’an”.

“We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others”

There is no universal right of free speech in muslim countries and these sons of #itches don’t want Americans to have any either. The religious beliefs of muslims is that no one should be alive if they don’t submit to islam. And to spew the above crap on the anniversary of 9/11 is beneath contempt. OBL must be dancing a jig in Hell.

Sadly the Republicans have never had the day of reckoning with the ‘neoconservatives’ that is needed. There seem to be plenty of neoconservative thinkers, whose ideology has been totally dis-proven by experience, but who are still considered ‘big thinkers’ on the right without having questioned their assumptions about the world. This needs to change. There is a happy medium between isolationism and lets have our hand in every pie so every country is democratic now.

After 9/11 neoconservatism seemed to be an ideology that could explain the world. It has totally failed though, and has left our country with an egg on its face. It needs to be disposed of.

Key things to remember:
A) 9/11/01 was a re-attack from the 1993 WTC bombing but this time (tragically) was more successful.
B) The NY EIJ Cell (led by the “blind cleric”) was planning their operation with support from the Muslim Brotherhood, the PIJ, and Al-Quds Force (ie. Iran).
C) PIJ Spiritual Adviser Abdel Aziz al-Awda (aka -al-Odah) was attending MB conferences in the USA as early as 1988. Look up his role in liaison between Iran, Palestinian, Eqyptian, and Sudan terror groups.
D) AQ is not/was not some radical splinter from more moderate Salafi-Jihadi Islamists groups just one flavor of the MB aligned movements across the Arab and Non-Arab Islamic world. Hamas, PIJ, Al-Shaaba, Bosnian Military Unit 5080, Ansar Islam, etc. are all “siblings”.
E) Who is accountable for , correction who has been punished for Ali Abouelseoud Mohamed’s complete infiltration of FBI / CIA / ASOC ?? or for that matter the cover up of Ambassador Cleo Noel’s murder?? or Blee / Wilshire cover up of 9/11???

Americans are ignorant about so many things, especially it’s own history !! Every citizen must know that the MB has already infiltrated the National Security System and there really are so few true patriots left ! GOD Help us all!

I’m living in Canada, where I was living when 9/11/01 struck. The people who worked with me thought the Americans “had it coming.” They found it uncomfortable and restrictive having me there after 9/11/01 and soon got rid of me. Interestingly though, I was living in a building that was about 2/3 full of recent Muslim immigrants in full burqa/niqab/native dress. My sister, who was staying with me, was terrified of them. I told her (as proved true) that the Muslims would not come after us — they knew we were Americans and were terrified that WE would come after THEM. Within 3 days, not a Muslim costume was to be seen anywhere in our neighbourhood. The only foreigners we saw in any of the shops were Chinese. If a couple of middle-aged American women could strike terror into a building like that, think what some Americans who really DID have an axe to grind might do.

Re: BJackson; Islam had everything to do with 9-11. OBL said he and AQ were responsible for it in video/audio !!! Islam was behind 1993 WTC bombing, Islam was behind Beirut bombings, Madrid bombings, London Bombings, Ambassador Stevens murder, Ambassador Cleo Noel, Ambassador to Afghanistan 1979 murder. US Embassy in Iran attack / hostages. Over 19,000 documented attacks since 9/11/01. ISLAM ISLAM ISLAM you stupid POS ! Curses be upon Mohammed; Satan’s Prophet and all his followers !